Flicker
by Jellyfshhh
Summary: Kurage Awako has always been known to follow Bakugou Katsuki around like a lost puppy ever since they were kids. But what happens when she finally decides to stand on her own without his help? What happens when she finally realizes that she wants to become a hero? Fic also posted on Wattpad.
1. Chapter 1

Kurage Awako was running. Thick, messy brunette curls flew around her face as she dodged students, weaving between them easily as she made her way down the hallway. In one hand she held a paper, slightly crumpled and titled "Future Career Form", and in the other she gripped tightly onto her messenger bag. Gray eyes read the numbers of each classroom as she made her way down the hall. With each passing room she felt the excitement bubbling in her stomach. She had something very important to tell someone.

Her cheeks were flushed red as she finally made it to the classroom, trying to catch her breath. When she finally straightened herself she stared at the doors before reaching out a hand. She hesitated at first, butterflies fluttering in her stomach, before sucking in air and sliding open the door.

"K-Kacchan-" she began, before hearing the familiar sound of an explosion.

Her gaze moved from a now destroyed notebook to the blonde that held it in his hands. Her eyes widened as they moved to the two boys that seemed to follow him around almost as much as she did and finally settled on the green-haired boy looking terrified. He turned his gaze to her, his eyes pleading with her to do something. _Anything._

Awako had always known to stay out of Bakugou Katsuki's way when it came to Midoriya Izuku. Even as children she often turned a blind eye to his aggressiveness towards the quirkless boy. She would often become subject to his bullying if she tried to step in to help.

So, she did the only thing she could do. She shut her mouth and watched, eyes wide and her hands trembling. She watched Katsuki move to an opened window, completely ignoring that she had entered the classroom at all.

"The best heroes out there, well…" Katsuki began, waving the notebook around as he spoke, "They showed signs of greatness even as students." He didn't move his gaze from Izuku as he flung the book out of the window carelessly. Both Izuku and Awako let out a squeak, Izuku reaching his hands out. One of the boys had heard her and turned to look at Awako, finally acknowledging her presence in the room. His gaze moved up and down as he slipped his hands into his pockets.

"I'll be the first and _only_ hero from this shitty middle school! The first to win the honor of becoming a student at U.A. high!" he crowed, a smirk on his face.

Awako took a step backwards and her palms began to sweat. She tightened her hold on her messenger bag strap and paper, crumpling it even more. Her face flushed red at his words and she tried to open her mouth to say something. She could only manage another soft noise.

"Oi, Katsuki, Wanko's here," the boy said. All eyes turned to her and it made her body tremble. Helplessly she opened and closed her mouth like a fish, trying to come up with anything to stop the scene from continuing on. She took a few shaky steps forward and began to choke out "S-Stop," before she met Katsuki's cold glare.

She bowed her head, averting her gaze to her feet and bringing her hands to her stomach, gripping her shirt. She had stepped down. She knew better than to challenge him right now.

He glared at her for a moment longer before turning his gaze to Izuku and placing a hand onto his shoulder. It sizzled dangerously as he said "In other words, don't you dare get into U.A., nerd."

Awako peeked at Izuku from beneath her disheveled bangs and felt her heart drop into her stomach. It twisted to the point a nausea when she heard the other two boys spit even more insults at him. She didn't understand. The bullying never made it past petty name calling before. Little things here and there that weren't that big of a deal. She couldn't understand why he was so spiteful towards him.

He stopped beside her, his gaze moving to look down at her. He smirked once more before saying "You wanna be a hero? I have some advice for ya. If you think you'll have a quirk in your next life, go take a swan dive off of the roof!"

Awako's eyes widened at Katsuki's words before they sought Izuku. His face twisted into pure hate as he whipped around to face them. The grip on her shirt tightened.

"Yeah? What?" Katsuki snarled back, his hand crackling in a warning. Izuku completely faltered, not saying a word. Pushing past Awako, Katsuki said nothing as he bumped her, his hands slipping into his pockets. She stumbled back slightly as the two other boys moved past her as well, snickering to themselves.

"C'mon, Wanko," he called.

She was left alone with Izuku and she looked from the door to him, holding her arms out. There had to be some way to salvage the situation. She had to do something. Her gaze moved to the crumpled paper in her hand and she sucked in air, beginning to say something.

"Wanko," she heard Katsuki call again, an edge of annoyance in his voice. She hated that name sometimes. She hated this.

Obediently she peered out of the classroom to look at Katsuki, who leered at her from down the hallway. She opened her mouth then closed it before giving Izuku one last look. She could feel Katsuki's eyes burrowing into the back of her head and she stepped out of the classroom, leaving Izuku alone.

"Wow, she really is like a dog," she heard one of the boys whisper to the other with a snicker.

* * *

Peering around the corner of the school Awako finally spotted him. Izuku was fishing his notebook out of the school ground's koi pond and looking dejected. Sucking in another breath she scuttled over to him calling out "Dekkun!"

He jumped slightly, nearly dropping the notebook into the pond again before turning his head to look at her.

"O-Oh, Awa-chan!" he said, looking around nervously. If she was here, Katsuki had to be close by. "Wh-What are you doing here?" He asked, peering over her and shifting his eyes back and forth..

"Here!" she said suddenly, shoving a blank notebook into his hands. "I'm so sorry Dekkun! Please forgive me!" she said as she bowed. He stared at her for a long moment, then looked down at the notebook. It was pink in color with stickers littering the front. It was blank otherwise. He nibbled on his bottom lip before saying "It's alright, Awa-chan. Don't worry about it…"

"No!" she said, straightening herself so fast that she nearly bumped his chin. "I should have said something earlier." After another moment passed she bowed again. "Please. I'm sorry." She knew it was a pathetic excuse of an apology, but it was the best she could do at the moment. Katsuki would be furious if he knew she was here. She relaxed once she saw Izuku slip the notebook into his backpack.

"I...I really hope you get into U.A.," she said to him, her hands gripping onto her messenger bag strap. "I...I want to go to U.A. too. I want to become a hero," she said, looking up at him again. He wasn't exactly the person she wanted to tell first, but she hoped to cheer him on with her words. Maybe even give him some comfort.

"Dekkun...I want to find what's important," she confided in him. "Let's become stronger together," she said before turning from him and racing off.

* * *

Bakugou Katsuki noticed something was missing. Well, not something. Someone. Someone who stood about as tall as his shoulders, with bushy brown hair and bright gray eyes. Someone who reminded him of a lost puppy with the way she followed him around. She always seemed to be yapping and whining for his attention. It was annoying.

Where the fuck did she go?

He ignored to chatter between the two boys that walked behind him, taking a sip from his drink. She had to be here somewhere. Maybe she got distracted by one of the stores they passed by.

It was then that she simply bumped into him causing him to almost spill his drink.

Almost.

Her arms were stretched out infront of her and her fingers had spread out. The liquid floated in the air, inches from the ground. Her quirk was liquid manipulation, something that seemed to contrast to his explosions quite a bit.

"You stupid idiot!" he barked at her, snatching up the can from the ground. He leered down at her as she lowered the liquid back into the can. He then watched as she bent over, placing her hands on her knees and trying to catch her breath.

"Watch where the fuck you're going!" he said, before taking another gulp. She didn't react to his harsh words, and for some reason that seemed to stir something deep inside of him. Lately she hardly even flinched when he called her names. She seeme to stand up to him more lately too.

"Hey, haven't you two known Midoriya since you were kids?" one of the boys asked. Both Awako and Katsuki looked at him and then at eachother before Katsuki finished his drink. "Yeah, you went too far today," the other chortled. Awako straightened herself, wiping her mouth as she looked over to Katsuki, waiting for his answer.

"It's his fault for messing with me," he said, more to Awako than to the ones asking the questions. "Seeing him so full of stupid dreams just like when we were kids just pisses me off," he snarled, crushing the can in his hand with a small explosion.

"Leave Dekkun alone."

Her voice was small, and it cracked slightly, but it felt like a slap in the face. He jerked his head to look at her and saw that her hands were balled up, a fierce flicker in her eyes. He took a step towards her, a sneer on his face and his palm crackling dangerously. It was an empty threat of course. He could never really bring himself to lay a hand on Awako. Not since they were kids. She was just supposed to back down. It was just supposed to spook her into keeping her mouth shut.

Her eyes widened and seemed to look past him now.

Good. Much better, he thought.

"A body...with a good quirk," was all he heard before his body was enveloped in mud. It suffocated him and he writhed, his shouts muffled by the liquid filling his mouth.

He heard Awako shriek his name, causing something to stir inside of him once again. Something different this time. He wrenched his eyes open and saw her desperately clawing at the mud while his so called "friends" watched in horror. Fucking cowards.

"Get..the fuck...away," he choked out.

"A test subject...good," the monster growled. Katsuki felt his hands spark a few times and he frantically looked from his hand to Awako, who had gripped onto his shirt from beneath the mud and yanked it with all of her might. He wanted to scream at her to run. He wanted to call her a fucking idiot for putting herself in danger.

The crack of an explosion caught his attention and he watched in horror as Awako fell to the ground

* * *

It was the sound of a cheering crowd that awoke Awako. Her head felt fuzzy and throbbed on one side and she could only squint her eyes when she opened them. There was a pain in her shoulder and arm, and she looked down to see it bandaged up from shoulder to elbow. The sleeve on her school uniform was torn away.

"Good, you're awake. What a relief." she heard someone say. It was Kamui Woods, one of her favorite heroes. Her face immediately flushed crimson. She was a huge fangirl of his, and it caused her face to turn even more red when he handed her messenger bag to her.

"This is yours," he said. The strap had burnt and broken and it caused all of her memories to come flooding back.  
"Kacchan!" she cried, shooting up and staggering a bit.  
"Careful," Kamui said, trying to steady her on her feet. "You hit your head pretty hard."

She took the bag from him and thanked him softly before looking around. From what she overheard from various reporters the monster had been destroyed thanks to the great hero All Might and two boys had been saved from the scene. Quickly she rushed through the crowded streets, hugging her bag close to her chest. She peeked in shops and alleyways, looking for Katsuki. Soon tears began to stream down her cheeks as her anxiety overcame her. She desperately wiped at her face over and over as she ran, trying to calm herself down.

Soon she made it to their neighbourhood. It was then that she nearly ran into him again after rounding a street corner. Relief flooded her as she saw that he looked generally unharmed besides a few scratches on his face.

"You're safe," she wailed, tears falling faster down her face, "I'm so glad!"

He stared down at her as she hiccuped, wiping the globs of tears that rolled down her cheeks. _Had she been crying this whole time?_ , he wondered. His gaze moved to her bandaged shoulder and he gritted his teeth.

"God, you're annoying," he growled, pushing past her.

"Huh?" she said, and he could almost hear her heart dropping in her voice. He shut his eyes tightly before opening them, a deep scowl on his features.

"W-Wait, Kacchan!" she called after him, nearly tripping over herself to catch up. She reached her hand out, grabbing onto his sleeve.

"W-Wait!" she said, tugging it. He whipped around, leering down at her in aggravation.

"I-I wanted to tell you something," she began, letting go of his sleeve and bringing her arm back to hug her bag tighter.

"I...I want to become a hero," she finally confessed to him, closing her eyes tightly. "I want to go to U.A. and become a hero! So that this never happens again!"

He was walking towards her in an instant, causing her to stumble backwards.

"So you're pitying me to, hah?!" he sneered at her, "Is that it?!"

His voice caused her to drop her bag, and she scrambled to gather the things that fell out, wincing and touching her shoulder. His eyes widened for just a moment before morphing back into a scowl. He watched as she stood straight, a flicker in her eyes once again as she fired back "No one's pitying you Kacchan! I don't understand why you're acting so mean! Just like with D-Dekkun!" She took a step towards him and said "You act so cruel! I just wanted to help you!"

"I don't need your help," he shouted explosively at her, causing her to flinch back, "I don't need you!"

They stared at one another in shock. For the first time in a long time Katsuki watched as his words cut deep into Awako. She took a few steps back before her hair began to bristle. She looked up at him, a flame flickering in her eyes.

"You're….You're the _worst_ , Kacchan," she said with a voice like sharp glass, "But I'm not afraid of you anymore."

He stared at her, his palms beginning to sweat.

 _Fuck_

"I will become a hero," she said, turning her back to him. The ice in her voice sent shivers down his spine.

"Just watch me."


	2. Chapter 2

_Ouch._

Awako watched as a tiny droplet of blood oozed from her finger. Setting down her needle she placed her finger in her mouth. She had been at this for hours now.

Awako had been doing her favorite after-school hobby; making bracelets. It always calmed her down when she felt the most stressed out or helped her gather her thoughts when she was stuck on a hard question on her homework.

Taking a needle and thread she would handpick only the best of beads and pattern them into a braid. They would come out so nicely that her father would take them with him on his business trips and sell them to his coworkers. He would give her the money she had earned and she would then in turn buy even more beads and threads.

Of course not all the bracelets she made were sold.

Her eyes slowly wandered to her dresser, a single red bracelet hidden inside. A gift she would probably never be able to give. She averted her gaze, taking her finger from her mouth and picking the needle back up.

For as long as she made bracelets she never made one for herself. Purple and blue beads that looked like bubbles shimmered in the light of her desk lamp. She was nearly finished now.

Her gaze traveled to her phone, laying face-down on her desk. She checked it, letting out a soft sigh. No messages.

She hadn't spoken to Katsuki for ten months.

 _Ouch._

Her finger throbbed and she looked back down at it, a drop of blood flowing down it. Putting it back into her mouth she swiveled in her chair to look at her bed. Taking her phone with her she flopped onto it, curling up at hugging a pillow.

Bleak loneliness overcame her. She buried her face into her pillow and closed her eyes as tight as she could, taking a deep breath.

Izuku had tried his best to keep her company once she confessed that she had gotten into an argument with Katsuki. She didn't have any other real friends at school, so Izuku was the best choice for company. It was awkward at first, and his friendliness sent her reeling at times. She wasn't used to the kind way he spoke to her or how he treated her, well, like a friend.

She rolled onto her side and thought back to Katsuki's way of showing friendship.

It was tutoring her when she couldn't quite understand her schoolwork. He was brutal and would even make her do push-ups or sit-ups for every wrong answer. It was accompanying her, despite many complaints, to the shopping district for beading supplies. He would walk her home from school although it was in complete silence.

Though there were times he didn't really treat her as a friend at all.

Name calling, snotty comments, even she wasn't safe from his ego. He would tease her relentlessly if she didn't listen to what he told her to do.

She curled up, hugging her pillow tightly.

Did he really hate her that much?

Her phone chimed loudly in her ear and she nearly fell from the bed clawing at it.

 **Dekkun:** Good luck tomorrow! Let's do our best!

She stared at the text for a long moment before letting out a dejected sigh. She typed back a simple "Thanks," before placing her phone face down on her nightstand and curling up.

She fell asleep dreaming of the red bracelet.

* * *

"Get out of my way or you're dead," Katsuki growled dangerously at Izuku. He was in even worse of a mood than he had been for the past few months and he couldn't exactly put his finger on why he felt that way. In the back of his mind he felt like he was forgetting something.

"M-Morning! Let's do our b-best!" Izuku sputtered as he waved his hands.

 _Fucking idiot_ , was all Katsuki could think as he turned his gaze to the crowd of students making their way to U.A.'s entrance. It was finally the day of the entrance exams and it put even more of an edge to his attitude. Passing was no problem, he knew for a fact that he was the greatest thing to walk into the gates, yet he found himself growing more and more agitated.

There she is, running like she always seemed to be. His gaze followed Awako as she skittered to the doors, bumping into a girl who reminded him of a frog. Her appearance had changed since he last saw her months ago. Her body was more lithe, and he saw that her round face had become thinner. Her hair was half up in a bun.

It had been months since they spoke to one another and he was genuinely surprised. Any spat they would get into would end in her apologizing the next day. But the next day came and she scuttled away from him when they bumped into one another in the hallway. In fact she scuttled away from him that whole first week, even if he tried to corner her. The second week she walked away from him as if he didn't exist. From that point on he never saw her again.

Until today.

He picked up the pace and gritted his teeth. Maybe he could get the last word in this time.

" _I don't need you!"_

His steps faltered and he stopped. He watched as she bowed over and over in apology to the girl. It looked as if she was laughing now. He could almost hear it.

" _God, you're annoying,"_

He averted his gaze and clenched his teeth together.

* * *

Awako felt like she was going to puke. On the bright side, she managed to make a friend. Asui Tsuyu, or Tsuyu, as she insisted on being called. She had bumped into the frog-like girl and had managed to strike up conversation while looking for the room that the exam's presentation was going to be in. In the end they managed to exchange numbers, and she promised Tsuyu she'd meet up with her after the exams to see how they both did.

On the not so bright side she began to feel anxiety overcome her as she waited for the presentation to start. Her ID number placed her next to Izuku and he tried his hardest to calm her down despite sounding nervous himself.

"Calm down, Awa-chan," he said, waving his hands, "It can't be _that_ hard. Right?" He scratched his cheek, looking to the side as he said "I mean, it's only the most prestigious hero school in…" before trailing off. They both looked pale now.

"Move over, Deku," she heard an all too familiar voice growl.

For the first time in months she looked up and met Katsuki's eyes.

She was totally going to vomit.

She stood quickly, completely forgetting that her bag was in her lap. It fell to the floor, its contents scattering over the ground. She nearly bumped heads with Izuku as she rushed to gather her things back up. Slinging it over her shoulder she took one step out into the walkway before the sound of Present Mic chimed "Examinee 2235 take your seat, the presentation is about to begin!"

Awako froze, her leg still sticking out. Her face turned ten shades of red before she sat, nearly vibrating in her seat. She snuck a peek at Katsuki, only to see that he didn't seem mad in the slightest. In fact, she couldn't really tell what his expression was as he took off his scarf and took a seat beside Izuku. He just seemed…

Quiet.

 _So much for not being afraid of him anymore_ , she thought to herself, turning her gaze back to the stage. She tried to calm herself down, grateful that Izuku was at least a buffer between the both of them. Yet it didn't stop the feeling of his eyes on her. Once the light dimmed she braved another glance at him. He seemed more muscular than the last time she saw him. His face had sharpened. He had probably trained for today as well. He was also staring directly at her.

Her mouth felt dry suddenly and she looked away from him, clenching her fists. Soon the lights around the stage brightened and Present Mic stood center. She tried her hardest to focus, keeping her eyes on the pro hero as he explained the exam.

That's right, there's no backing down now.

* * *

"Dekkun!" Awako called as she jogged over to the green-haired boy. She had changed into her athletic clothes which consisted of a purple turtleneck with short sleeves and a pair of black joggers. She wore slip on shoes, finding them the easiest to maneuver her quirk with. Tied to her waist were two canteens and a third one was tightly secured to her back.

"Good luck!" she said, giving him a thumbs up. He gave her a bright smile back.

"You too Awa-chan! Let's give it our all!" he said. They waved goodbye to one another before he turned to head towards his bus to the testing site.

She turned to race back to her own bus before running straight into Katsuki. She bounced off of him, falling back.

His back was turned to her, and he snarled out "Watch where the fuck you're-" before catching sight of her on the ground.

They stared at one another for what seemed like ages. His eyes moved to her shoulder, where a fading mark could be seen just poking out from her turtleneck sleeve. She followed his gaze before pulling down her sleeve slightly.

"Sorry," she mumbled, her face turning red.

Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head when he offered her a hand. She looked from it to his face and back again. Then she stood without taking it. She wrapped her hands around her canteen strap and looked to the side, brushing her hair behind her ear. She could feel the heat coming from his body now.

"S-Sorry," she repeated again before sidestepping him and rushing past. She stopped mid-step, turning to face him. They stared at one another and she could see his trademark scowl pulling at his features. He opened his mouth and began to say "Wanko-" before her soft voice cut him off.

"Good...Good luck," she stuttered out. Then she turned away from him quickly, running off before he could say anything else.

* * *

Dust had settled around Awako as she took down another robot, giving herself a total of 40 or so points. She had lost count a while ago. She unscrewed the cap of one of her canteens and gulped down the water inside of it. Overuse of her quirk left her mouth dry and her head dizzy. She took another long gulp before screwing back on the cap and clipping the canteen back to her side. The overhead speaker sounded and alerted her she had six minutes left.

"Time to make it count," she said to herself.

She looked around before taking off in a random direction. She felt exhausted and sweaty but she pushed on, turning a corner and coming across another tester. Three of the three pointer robots were cornering him and he seemed to be in trouble.

She ran towards them, dodging the attacks from the robots with simple twirls and feints. Her hair began to move as if underwater and she motioned her hands over the canteens on her sides. Bringing them together quickly she made a cross with her arms, causing the water inside to pop the caps off and shoot off at two of the robots. They short circuited and stood unmoving.

She pulled her arms back, the water seeping out of their machinery and flowing back to her. With a simple twirl she shot it back out at the third robot, causing that one to short circuit. All three fell over, breaking apart once they hit the ground.

Panting softly she motioned the water back into her canteens before turning to face the one she saved. She staggered slightly and placed her hand on her head.

"Are you alright?" she asked. Her first thought was "sharp" when she took in his features. From his spiked teeth to his sharp eyes and even to his hands which were formed into spikes.

"Yeah, thanks for the assist man! I appreciate it!" he said cheerfully.

"Three minutes remaining!" they heard echoing through the streets.

"Better get going!" he said before running off. He stopped, turning back to her and saying "Thanks again," with a wave.

She watched him go before turning and taking off again.

* * *

"Tsuyu-chan!" Awako called, waving her hand. She spotted the frog-girl as she came out of the school and raced up to her. "How do you think you did?"

"Awako-chan," she greeted, poking her own cheek with a long finger, "I'm hoping I got enough points to pass. I at least got fifty. How about you?"

"Mm, about the same," she said, mimicking Tsuyu's action and looking up. They had only spoken for less that ten minutes altogether and Awako already felt at ease with the girl. Was she really that lonely?

"I hope we both have enough to get in," Awako said, turning to look at Tsuyu. They began to walk together.

"It would be pretty neat if we were in the same class too," Tsuyu said.

Awako nearly felt tears prickle her eyes. She inhaled deeply and gave Tsuyu a big smile.

"Say, Awako, may I ask you a question?" Tsuyu said. When Awako nodded she asked "Are you perhaps related to Kurage Naota? Death Sting?"

Awako paled suddenly, tripping over herself. She wasn't angry at Tsuyu for the question in the slightest. She should have expected the question. It was a fairly normal one when you carried the name Kurage. What she feared was Tsuyu's reaction to her answer.

Tsuyu steadied her before saying "S-Sorry. I tend to speak my mind about things."

"A-Ah, well," Awako began, forcing herself to start walking again, "He's my, uh, my brother. I was too young to really remember a lot about him, though. It's a bit of a sore spot for me."

She peeked at Tsuyu, hoping she didn't ruin the only budding friendship she had in awhile and was surprised. Her expression didn't seem to change as she brought her wide eyes to look at Awako.

"Is that why you want to become a hero?" Tsuyu asked, tilting her head.

Awako was quiet for a moment, fidgeting with the beads on her bracelet as she thought to herself. Moments ticked by as they made their way to the station.

"I...I want to find what's important," she finally said, looking to the sky. "That's why I want to become a hero."

Tsuyu let out a tiny croak before giving Awako the closest thing to a smile.

"You know Tsuyu, we just met but I really do consider you a friend," Awako said, smiling back at her.

"Friend?" Tsuyu said before nodding her head. "Yes, I feel the same way."

"Well, I better get to the train before it leaves," Awako said, taking a few steps ahead of Tsuyu. The girl nodded in response, saying "I have to get home to my siblings before my parents leave on their trip."

"I'll text you when I get my test results!" she called to Tsuyu as she waved goodbye. Then she made a mad dash to the train, hopping through the doors before they shut. Luckily she was able to find a seat. She began to dig out her headphones as she turned on her phone, bouncing in her seat.

Her phone chimed and a text flashed on the screen.

 **Papa** : Good luck! I'll be home tomorrow morning!

She smiled down at her phone then went back to untangling her headphones.

Her phone chimed again and she looked down again.

 **Kacchan** : good luck wanko

Teardrops blurred her vision.


	3. Chapter 3

_Awako peered through the opening of the door to the teachers' office. Her gaze traveled from Izuku to Katsuki as their home room teacher praised them._

" _Not only two, but three of our students are getting into U.A.," he said cheerfully. "Kurage Awako from the other class seems to have made it as well, despite having such low grades here. But you didn't hear it from me."_

 _She could tell Katsuki was glaring at Izuku._

" _And Midoriya! Your acceptance is a miracle among miracles!"_

 _Suddenly the door slid open, another teacher standing on the other side._

" _Ah, Kurage-san. Did you need something?" the teacher asked._

 _Everyone turned their attention to her and her face reddened. Katsuki's glare caught her off guard and she nearly felt herself catch fire._

 _She never replied to his message._

" _Excuse me," she said before bowing and taking off down the hallway before anyone could stop her._

* * *

 _She was rushing now. Down the staircases and through the hallway. She held the strap of her messenger bag tightly in her hand as she tried to make it to the shoe lockers. Awako would normally be long gone by now but was stopped by her own homeroom teacher for praise. Now the schoolgrounds were empty and it sent her on edge. She knew better by now than to lag behind._

 _As quickly as she could she changed her shoes and slipped out of the building. She slowed her pace and tried to catch her breath._

" _I thought I told you to go somewhere else!" she heard a familiar voice bark._

" _S-Someone told me that I could become a hero. K-Kacchan I earned this!"_

 _Awako peered around the corner spotting Katsuki pushing Izuku against the wall._

" _That's why I'm...I'm going to be a hero! No matter what!" Izuku said. His gaze moved to Awako._

" _Awa-chan…?" he said. Katsuki turned quickly, and it made Awako stumble back. Quickly she turned, walking off without a word to either of them._

" _Oi, Wanko!" she heard him call after her. Her grip on the strap of her bag tightened and she began walking faster._

" _You can't ignore me forever!" she heard, closer this time._

 _She tripped over herself, her pace picking up into almost a run._

 _His hand around her arm jerked her to a stop, causing her to whip around to face him._

" _You can't ignore me forever," he repeated, huffing to catch his breath. Awako's ears flushed pink as she looked up at him. She pulled her arm once and when he didn't loosen his grip she pulled it again._

" _I-I'm sorry, I have to go," she mumbled out, tugging it a third time. When she looked back up at him she had to bite back a laugh. His face reminded her of a pouting child. Yet she couldn't stop herself from mimicking his expression as she pulled away from him again. He still wouldn't let go._

 _His hair bristled as he brought his face closer to her's and she felt her heart began to pound in her chest._

" _Why didn't you tell me you got into U.A., ah?" he asked loudly. "Think you're too good now, too, huh?" he continued, baring his teeth at her. "Is that why you won't talk to m-"_

" _You don't need me, remember?" she found herself shouting as she jerked her arm away. She stumbled back a few steps as he stared at her wide-eyed._

" _Are you gonna bully me too? Just like Dekkun?" she whipped at him, stepping toward him and making him take steps back this time._

" _Will you push me against a wall and threaten me?" she barked at him, the fire in her chest blazing now._

 _She could nearly see the smoke rising from his body now. He sputtered, trying to come up with anything to fire back at her. She huffed and turned away from him but stopped when she felt Katsuki grab her wrist again._

" _I didn't mean-" he began before she yanked her arm again. He scrambled to grasp at anything and his hand closed around her bracelet. The string snapped in the scuffle and beads scattered around them, catching Katsuki's attention. He stepped back, hearing a crunch beneath his shoe. Lifting it he found shards of one of the beads._

" _Wanko-" he began, looking back up._

 _She was gone._

" _Fuck-"_

* * *

" _Fuck-" Katsuki muttered to himself for what must have been the thousandth time. He stared down at his desk, beads scattered around the top of it. He was lost and didn't have the slightest idea of where to start._

 _There were countless times that he watched Wanko braid bracelets. Over and over he watched her but he couldn't even remember how she did that anymore. He was desperate enough to look up tutorials and videos on how to do it but none of them even began to compare to the style Wanko did hers._

 _He cut the thread once more and started over, his hands clumsily working with the braid again. She had to have had so much patience to do this, he thought to himself. He felt his palms begin to sweat and he paused to wipe them on his pants. He had already exploded the beads off of his desk on accident before. It was an even bigger pain in the ass to collect them around his room as it was to find them the first time around. He definitely didn't want to do that again._

 _He rolled a bead beneath his finger. Each one seemed to bubble up a memory of her._

 _The lost look on her face when they did homework together. She really was an idiot sometimes._

 _The stupid excited look that would brighten her face when she showed him new beads that she bought. Not that he cared much._

 _The look she would give him when he would save her from bullies when they were kids. A look that made pride bubble in his chest._

 _He felt the same thing as he thought back. What was it? It felt as though he was forgetting something in the back of his mind. Something important._

 _He pricked himself and shouted another curse, banging his head on his desk. He heard the sound of beads rolling off of his desk and onto the floor._

" _F-Fuck!"_

* * *

Spring had finally arrived and the fresh air filled Awako with bounciness. Today was her first day at U.A. high. She was a highschooler now, on her way to becoming a hero.

"My little Awako is all grown up!" her father said, tears in the corners of his eyes.

Makoto Kurage was a tall man, with bushy brown hair and glasses. Awako inherited almost everything from him, his eyes, his hair, even parts of his personality. Her quirk seemed to be the only thing she inherited from her mom.

"Papa is so proud!" her father wailed as he pulled her into a bear hug.

"I have to go!" she whined, despite the laughter that bubbled in her chest. "Tsuyu is waiting for me!"

He nodded and set her down, lightly patting the bun on the top of her head before saying "Be careful! I'm so proud of you!"

She puffed up her chest, a sense of pride washing over her. She nodded quickly before turning and racing out the front door.

She made it to the station in record time, but the ride took ages. Impatiently she jumped through the doors as soon as they opened and raced out the station.

"Tsuyu!" she called, jumping up and down and waving both of her hands. With a tiny croak Tsuyu waved back, picking up her pace to catch up with Awako. She was rushing over, meeting her halfway as she said "Thanks for waiting!"

Tsuyu gave the closest thing to a smile and poked her cheek, saying "I'm excited, I wonder who's going to be in our class."

Awako turned her gaze to the sky, a wide smile on her face. She couldn't hide the excitement.

"Awako-chan, where did your bracelet go?" Tsuyu interrupted. Awako's face paled slightly and she bit her lip.

"Oh! I seemed to have misplaced it," she lied, tapping her forehead. "I am a ditz at times…"

* * *

Sweat dripped down the back of Awako's neck. She stared blankly at her desk, her eyes wide and hollow as she came to terms with her surroundings. Katsuki was in her class. After years of whining and complaining that they never shared class together she unluckily got her wish. Her gaze moved to the back of his head, where it lingered before moving back to her desk. Tsuyu watched her, tilting her head slightly.

"I'm so stoked you passed the exam too!"

Awako looked up, her eyes still blank, and stared at the red haired boy infront of her. She hardly recognized him as the boy she had saved during the exam.

"Those were some awesome skills you had!" he continued, grinning at her. "I'm Kirishima, by the way. Kirishima Eijirou."

"K-Kurage Awako," she mumbled back, feeling as if the room itself was on fire. She heard the shuffling of a few students and felt their eyes on her.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Katsuki turn to look her way. It was his first acknowledgement since she stepped foot in the room.

"Kurage…." he said, looking up in thought. "Oh! You must be the sister of Kurage Naota!"

Awako's face paled and she suddenly had the urge to vomit. Behind her she heard whispers but Eijirou didn't seem to notice in the slightest.

"I think it's amazing that you're studying to become a hero," he assured her. "I think it's very manly," he added with a laugh.

He was very cheerful, Awako gathered. It actually calmed her a bit that he didn't seem to bat an eyelash at her name either. She couldn't help but give him a smile back, even if it was small. Her ear twitched as she heard a few more whispers and her smile dropped. For just a moment she searched for Katsuki, a habit she couldn't seem to kick, and in that moment his eyes locked onto hers. But it was broken just a quickly and she looked down into her lap.

She heard a slamming noise and looked back up, seeing Katsuki lounging back in his chair with his feet on his desk. The noise was loud enough to disrupt the whispers and everyone's attention now turned to the blonde.

A student who very much reminded Awako of a cardboard cutout of a person suddenly rushed to scold Katsuki.

"Not only is that an insult to the former students of U.A., but to the people who made the desk," he asserted, waving his hand in a cutting motion.

"Eh? And what school are you from, Extra?" Katsuki sneered back, his face twisted rather comically. Awako couldn't help but laugh, covering it up with a cough when she saw Katsuki look at her. She looked to the side, trying to hide her smile.

"I-I'm from Somei Private Academy. My name is Tenya Iida."

He seemed nice enough, Awako thought and she turned to look back at the two. She began to fidget with her notebook, ripping off a tiny chunk of paper.

"Somei?! A stuck-up elitist, then? I should blow you to bits," Katsuki barked at him, leaning forward in his seat and bearing his teeth at Iida.

Awako formed the paper into a tiny ball, flicking it in Katsuki's direction. It bounced off of his cheek and he stiffened. No one else seemed to notice and she looked away quickly when he turned his head to leer at her.

"You're awful! Do you really wish to become a hero!?" Iida said, taken aback by Katsuki's crass attitude. To Awako it was funny. She hadn't heard his ego talk in such a long time that it caused her to let out a snort. Once again their gazes met one another.

They both looked away.

Awako sighed and brushed her hair behind her ear.

"Awako-chan, what's wrong?" Tsuyu asked, tilting her head. She forced a smile, waving her hand and saying "Oh! Nothing!"

Her bag buzzed.

Slipping her hand inside she pulled out her phone. It flashed a new message.

Kacchan: _we need to talk wanko_

Kacchan: _pls_

She stared down at her phone for a what seemed like forever. She peeked over at Katsuki who was busy glaring at Izuku who just entered the classroom. She didn't really know how to feel. She was so used to getting the cold shoulder from Katsuki that she was actually flattered that he put so much effort into talking to her.

 _Fine. After class._

She watched him look down at his phone and then back to her. She made a show of dropping her phone back into her back and turned her attention to the front of the class. A rather raggedy man stood in the doorway.

"I'm your homeroom teacher, Aizawa Shota. Pleased to meet you," he said in a monotonous voice. He reminded Awako of a hobo.

"Quickly now, change into your gym uniforms and head out to the grounds," he continued, holding out a gym shirt.

* * *

" _ **Die!"**_

Awako watched as the baseball Katsuki threw rocketed into the sky. Her hair was blown back from the force. She currently stood next to Tsuyu, her face pale and her hands shakily laced on her stomach to try and soothe the anxiety she felt bubbling up.

It was a test of quirks and she always felt self-conscious of her own power. She spent the majority of her time training before she found out she was accepted into U.A. and even after the fact.

Her quirk seemed simple enough bit in extreme bouts of using it she would find herself dehydrated. She would develop intense migraines and muscle cramps. A few times she even worked herself so hard that she passed out. She could only control so much water and even then for only a short distance. Countless hours went into perfecting her footwork into a seamless dance.

"Right. The only with the lowest scores across all eight tests will be judged as hopeless and expelled."

Awako faltered a bit on her feet and felt her mouth become dry. So this was what it was like to be in a real hero school.

She balled her hands into fists and sucked in a breath. She had to prove herself now. She had to pass these tests, no matter what.

He gaze flicked over to Katsuki and she saw that he was grinning. She felt confidence bubble in her chest as she moved to look back at Aizawa.

"I've got this. I'll beat him."


	4. Chapter 4

5\. Kurage Awako

She moved her gaze upward.

3\. Bakugou Katsuki

Her hands tightened into fists and she felt a rage begin to bubble up from the pit of her stomach. She felt light-headed and her temples began to throb over and over of the exertion. She took long gulps from her canteen to calm her burning throat.

She choked on the water.

"Awako-chan are you okay?" Tsuyu asked, tilting her head up to look at Awako's face. Awako wiped her mouth and tried to calm herself down from her coughing fit. Her face was a burning red from both the coughing and the looks people were giving her for making so much noise. Specifically Katsuki.

"Wanko," he began, taking a step towards her. The leer she gave him made him stop dead in his tracks.

Tsuyu had began to rub her back softly, saying "Maybe you should go to the nurse's office, Awako-chan."

Quickly she waved her hand at Tsuyu, saying "I'm okay. Really! The water just went down the wrong pipe."

When she caught Izuku eyeing her she waved her hands again, saying "Honest. I'm fine."

Aizawa turned to look at the both of them, handing them two slips of paper. "Here, both of you. Have Recovery Girl fix you up. Tomorrow's challenges won't be any easier."

They took the slips of paper, looking at one another.

She caught Katsuki's glare before they left.

* * *

"He really is weird," Awako said to Izuku as they headed to Recovery Girl's office. "But I think he'll be a good teacher. "

Aizawa didn't even seem to bat an eyelash at her name, another person to add to her growing list of people.

She looked over to Izuku and eyed his finger before asking "Does it hurt? It must be so hard to deal with your quirk manifesting so late…"

Izuku seemed to grow nervous, laughing a little as he said "O-Oh, well, just a little." He looked away and scratching the back of his head, saying "It'll just take some practice is all."

She nodded, but stopped when she felt herself become dizzy. Izuku reached out to steady her, saying "Boy, you really gave it your all today, Awa-chan."

"Yeah...I….uh," she mumbled, looking to the side and rubbing her arm," Wanted to beat Kacchan."

His eyes nearly bugged out of his head at her words.  
"You two are still fighting!" he accused her. Awako felt her face begin to burn and she brought her hands to her stomach.

"I...haven't spoken to him since the mud villain incident," she finally said, looking down at her feet. Izuku looked even more surprised.

Awako rubbed the back of her neck, saying "I guess...I just…"

She stopped.

"I guess I just want Kacchan to see me as something more than just…"

Over-exertion had her thoughts jumbled at this point. She felt like a mess. What did she want Kacchan to see her as?

"I just…"

Why were they fighting?

"I…"

She placed a hand on her face, suddenly feeling very small.

"Awa-chan?" Izuku said, looking concerned. "Come on, let's just get to the nurse's office, okay?" he said, gently touching her arm with his good hand.

* * *

By the time she finished with Recovery Girl she had seen that everyone had left for the day. She trudged her way to the classroom, sliding the door open as she rubbed her eye.

Katsuki was waiting for her.

She closed the door.

He had slid it back open in an instant, a scowl on his face as he thrust her bag out at her. She was reeling at this, looking from the bag to him and back again. A year ago she would be the one waiting eagerly for him to get out of class. She would be so excited to ask him about class or to tell him a new idea she had for a bracelet even though she knew he could care less.

He remained silent, staring at her as he waited for her to take her bag from him. There was no getting out of this, she thought, finally taking it from him and slinging it over her shoulders.

His eyes ran over her pale face, her bushy hair tied up in a bun on her head. She had bags under her eyes and seemed to be more tired than she was after the tests.

Good thing for Katsuki this made her too tired to run away from him. So instead she stared back at him, minutes of silence ticking by.

"Say something!" he finally snapped at her, causing her to jump a little. She could nearly see steam coming off of his body.

"L-Like?" she asked, taking a step back.

"Anything!" he exclaimed, throwing up his hands. "You bracelets! Homework! What you had for lunch! Anything, Wanko!"

She stared at him, her eyes nearly bugging out of her head. Bakugou Katsuki was begging for her to speak to him. He actually...cared...about what she talked to him about.

Shuffling her feet for a moment she finally said in a tiny voice "I want to go home. I'm tired."

He watched her before rubbing his neck.

"Then let's go home, stupid."

* * *

The walk to the train station seemed to take forever. The silence seemed to be deafening as both of them didn't speak a word to one another. He kept his eye on her, stopping whever she teetered on her feet, yet looking away everytime she looked over at him.

The ride home was even quieter. They were the only two in the train car and the silent hum of it on the tracks was the only noise between them.

Awako refused to sit with Katsuki, wavering on her feet as she held onto the pole. He leered up at her, his arms crossed and his trademark pout on his face. She was nodding off, and he shot up to catch her as she nearly fell over.

"Sit down, idiot," he grumbled in her ear. Her face turned pink and she was too tired to fight him this time so she took a seat beside him, pouting herself. She hugged her bag close to her as he began to fidget in his seat. He took peeks outside the window before moving his gaze to her. He'd turn his head quickly, tapping his foot and running his hand through his blonde spikes.

"Say something," he finally mumbled.

She was silent at first before finally asking, "Did you really mean it?"

He looked over to her.

"Do you really not need me?" she continued, looking back at him.

It was his turn to be quiet now,.

"Katsuki," she said softly, making him flinch back. She never called him by his real name. Not even when she was mad. Not since they were kids. He couldn't help but think back.

* * *

 _They were only seven years old. He was walking home from school when he saw them. Awako was crumpled on the ground. She had bruises and scratches all over her body. From her nose leaked blood._

 _His eyes widened._

 _He was well aware of who Kurage Awako was. He even bullied her himself a few times. But he never took it this far. He never hurt her this...bad._

 _Her cheeks were streaked with tears and she was begging for the bullies to stop. He saw one raise a large rock._

" _Hey!" he shouted before he could stop himself. His palms were crackling and he was rushing at them in an instant. He threw fire-cracker punches wildly, taking a few hits himself and getting a black eye and bloodied nose. He remembered his mother bitched at him for days after the ordeal until she had seen Awako, who was much worse off._

 _When it was just the two of them he held her hand as he wiped the dirt from her face with the sleeve of his shirt._

" _They're all fucking stupid. Stick up for yourself, dumbass," he said as he tugged her in the direction of her home. It had changed awhile back, and he remembered his mom saying something about custody going to her Dad. Whatever that meant. What happened to her mom? He decided to ask Awako next time._

" _Katsuki," she whimpered, "Am I a monster?"_

" _Don't be so stupid. You're more like a puppy dog than a monster! I should call you Wanko instead," he declared, giving her his trademark smirk._

" _You're so cool, Katsuki," she said, stars in her eyes as she looked at him. He swore they shone brighter than the ones in the sky._

" _You should become a hero! I bet you can become the best," she chirped, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. His face turned red and he pushed her away, looking to the side._

* * *

 ** _"I don't need you!"_**

* * *

The memory of his own words snapped him out of his thoughts. How long had he spaced out for?

He heard the overhead speaker chime their stop.

" _Katsuki_ ," Awako repeated. Katsuki felt sweat form at the back of his neck. They walked silently out of the station and towards Awako's home, both looking away from one another. The sky had began to turn orange.

Awako watched the clouds.

In a sad way she was glad that he didn't answer her. What would she do then if he said he meant it? But she knew he could go on to become the greatest hero without her. Then what would she do? What would become of her then?

A flash of grey eyes that resembled her's crossed her mind and she stopped mid-step.

 ** _"Awako, are you good or bad?"_**

Katsuki stopped, turning to look at her. Her face was white as a sheet and she trembled slightly.

"Wanko," he said, reaching to grab her wrist. He tugged it gently, trying to get her to walk again. When she followed after him her turned away from her, keeping his hold on her wrist. She stared at his back, her gaze focusing on his broad shoulders as they walked. She focused on his calloused hands, warm against her clammy skin. She felt something stir deep inside of her and the tips of her ears begin to burn.

His grip seemed firm on her wrist now and his pace began to slow down as they turned down Awako's street. They stopped infront of her home, looking at one another for a long time.

He never let go of her wrist.

Then, hesitating at first, he let her go. He walked past her, slipping his hands into his pockets.

She watched him until she couldn't see him anymore and then headed inside.

* * *

She awoke from a nap an hour later when she heard her dad call her down for dinner. She took a plate of food upstairs with her to her room, placing it on her desk. Then she gracefully tripped over her backpack, kicking the contents out of it. She heard something slide underneath her bed.

Muttering a few choice curses she hopped slightly, holding her foot. She almost felt tears prickling her eyes as she stared down at the mess she made. What a day.

Then she simply went to work picking everything up and putting it back into her bag. She did a double take when she saw she had all of her things.

What slid under her bed?

She got on her knees, reaching beneath her bed and patting around.

Shoes, clothes, a box.

There, got it.

She pulled it out, looking at her palm.

"My...bracelet?" she said to herself, her eyes widening slightly. The braid was crooked and mix-matched yet the beads themselves were patterned even nicer than when she did them. She could tell that care was put into laying them out. She raised it to the light, watching as they sparkled nicely still. That's when she noticed something dangling from it.

She let out a tiny gasp, covering her mouth.

A tiny cartoon Shiba Inu head hung from her bracelet, smiling at her. It was as big a her fingernail and made of metal.

She slipped it on her wrist, moving to sit on her bed. She fell to the side, smiling wide as she held her hand out. She felt a warmth course through her body and it felt like bubbles were popping all over. Maybe this showed her the answer after all.

"I don't need you!"

She frowned, slipping off the bracelet and putting it on her nightstand. She turned over in her bed, wrapping herself in her blankets.

That night she dreamt of calloused hands on her face and the smell of soot.


	5. Chapter 5

"I have…!"

"Come through the door like normal!"

The booming voice of All Might shook Awako awake. She made a little snorting noise as she did, and quickly scrambled to wipe the drool off of her face. She heard Tsuyu let out a tiny croak of laughter.

Rubbing her eyes she watched All Might swagger into the room and suddenly felt the brewing excitement of all of her classmates. She, too, felt excitement bubble in her chest. She had heard a rumor that he was teaching at U.A. but never dreamed of seeing the number one hero in the flesh, let alone see him as her teacher. Her face brightened and she clapped her hands quickly with the other students.

"Hero basic training," he boomed, "The class that'll put you through all sorts of special training and mold you into heroes! No time to dilly dally! Today's lesson is this! Battle training!"

Awako froze mid cheer, turning as white as a sheet. Kirishima and Tsuyu exchanged glances with one another before looking back at Awako. She moved her gaze to the side, looking.

Katsuki was indeed grinning like a demon. She wasn't surprised in the least bit at this.

"And for that you'll need these!" All Might said, holding out his arms. "In accordance with the Quirk Registry and the special forms you filled out before being admitted. Costumes!"

Everyone was on the edge of their seats with excitements. Kirishima even jumped up from his chair.

Awako still stood frozen, looking just about as rigid as Iida.

"After you change, come out in ranking order to ground beta!" All Might said. Everyone cheered as Awako stared blankly at a wall.

"Ba...Battle training.." she whispered, her eyes as wide as dinnerplates.

 _Awako had spent what seemed like ages on her costume design. It was on a rainy afternoon that she finally settled at her desk to draw up plans for what she would wear on her long journey to become a hero._

* * *

 _She was completely lost._

 _It took her hours to come up with the initial sketch. She wanted something light and flowy. Something she could move easily in and had a specific flair to it. Her quirk required many spins and turns in it as she maneuvered the water with her hands and body._

 _Her first sketch ended up looking like a ballerina costume._

 _She crumpled it up and tossed it, letting out a long sigh as she tapped her pencil on her desk._

 _Maybe she should request something more padded. And what about color scheme? She always liked purple and blue. Yes, those were the colors she wanted in her costume. She needed something she could take a few dives in if she had to. Something that could absorb the shock if she had to throw herself at an enemy. And what about her mask? Every hero had a mask of some sort. Goggles. Perfect_

 _This time her sketch looked like a giant marshmallow._

 _She ripped the paper to shreds and pulled her hair, letting out an exasperated grunt._

 _At this point she was ready to reconsider her choice to become a hero. She called Tsuyu for inspiration and then finally turned to reading manga to figure some sort of design out. After a walking around her house a few times and staring blankly inside of her refrigerator she dragged herself back to her desk._

 _Then all at once her costume seemed to come together._

 _She kept her goggles, finding them too cool of an idea to ditch. She drew out a sleeveless turtleneck the cut off below her ribs. From the bottom of that was sheer fabric that stretched down to her mid thigh. She added shorts beneath that and thigh highs as well as arm warmers. They were all made from stretchy breathable material, something easy to move around in. All of this was from her first design. From her second she simply incorporated elbow and knee pads. Finally she added simple slip on shoes. Overall the outfit varied in her blue and purple color scheme._

 _She stared down at her final iteration with stars in her eyes. For a final touch she added a bag the looked like the top of a jellyfish. Her surname was Kurage after all._

 _Perfect._

 _On a separate sheet of paper she scribbled down her measurements before sealing it away and sending it off._

* * *

After weeks upon weeks of waiting Awako stared at herself in the mirror in the locker room, taking in her costume with an excited grin on her face. She finally felt like the hero she dreamed of for such a long time. She smoothed down her sheer skirt and headed out to join the others.

Taking her spot beside Tsuyu, her smile so wide it nearly took up her whole face.

"You look frilly," Tsuyu commented, poking her chin as she looked at her. A blush tinged her cheeks and she rubbed the back of her head.

"Thanks," Awako said back before turning her back to Tsuyu and wiggling, showing off her backpack and the water inside.

"I like the backpack the best," she said as she showed Tsuyu. The girl reached out, tapping her finger on the clear plastic of it before they both laughed. When Awako looked back she had to do a double take.

Katsuki had entered next and she felt as if she was going to explode. His costume matched him perfectly and her eyes traced along his arms and shoulders. He must have been training hard these past few months, she thought to herself as she oogled his muscles. She had to rip her gaze away from him yet she couldn't help but steal glances at him.

Suddenly she couldn't help but feel very very silly in her costume. Yet when he passed by her she could see a tinge of pink on his ears as she caught him looking away from her.

"They say the costume makes the hero," All Might announced. "Be fully aware that from from now on, you are all heroes!"

Awako turned her gaze to the mighty hero and realized why he was considered number one. Any doubt she felt in her mind melted away and any qualm she felt in her heart seemed to have been muted.

"That's great everyone, you all look so cool!"

Awako sucked in a breath and stood straight. Her hands clenched into fists.

"Now, shall we begin?!"

* * *

They were to be separated into groups, one villain one hero, and fight against one another in a closed location. The hero team were to capture either the villains or the "nuclear weapon" the villains had. The villains were to stop the hero team.

"U-Um, we have an uneven number of students.." Awako mumbled rather nervously to All Might after they drew lots. Her own nervousness prevented her from drawing one, so she was left without.

"Good observation, Young Awako!" All Might boomed. "I will easily fix that problem! Pick a team to join!"

That easily, she thought, her eyes wide. She poked her chin and looked around the room, a now forming habit she picked up from Tsuyu. He gaze fell on Katsuki and she felt her heart skip a beat. He was staring at her with the same eyes he used to and suddenly she felt as if they had taken a step back. It was more of a command at her.

"Dekkun," she said, turning her attention to Izuku. "May I be on your team?" she asked, much to the shock of both Izuku and Katsuki.

"A-Are you sure?" he asked, taking a glance at Katsuki before adding "I mean I don't mind if you want to be!"

A girl by the name Uraraka Ochako who was chosen to be on Izuku's team looked between them, saying "I don't mind either! I think it'll be super fun!"

The girl was cute and reminded Awako of a cheerleader. Someone she could probably trust.

"Then it's decided," All Might said, his hand on his hips. "Now to draw the hero and villain team!"

"Team A is the hero team! Team D will be the villain team!"

Awako breathed in deeply and steadied herself. Fate must be laughing at her, she thought to herself as she turned to face Katsuki. No longer was she the same girl he knew before. This was a fact both of them knew. The was a fire blazing in her chest and he saw it flicker in her eyes.

"Then so be it," he muttered as she passed by him to join Izuku and Uraraka.

* * *

"We've successfully Infiltrated!" Uraraka said as she helped Awako through the window of the building.

"There's a lot of blind spots, so be careful," Izuku stated. Heading down the hallway. They moved swiftly and silently, Awako tense and listening. She knew Katsuki's habits like the back of her hand. They were sparring partners every once in awhile when they were younger, so she knew he would be sneaking up soon. Looking to Izuku she knew he had to be thinking the same, he was just as focused as her.

As if on cue Katsuki lept out from a hallway slamming his fist into the ground near them and causing Awako to hop back, Izuku diving to shield Uraraka.

"Deku," he snarled, clearing away the smoke, "Don't dodge."

Katsuki had lunged at Izuku now, who took his arm, flipping him over his back and slamming him into the ground.

"Kacchan," Izuku said, gripping his hands into fists. Half of his mask was destroyed from Katsuki's earlier attack and Awako felt her palms begin to sweat. No longer was Izuku scared of Katsuki, she realized.

"You almost always lead with that right hook. I've seen it enough to know. You see I've always analyzed heroes I think are awesome in that note book of mine." He stood straight, "The one you blew up and threw out the window. The one that Awa-chan gave to replace it."

Katsuki turned his head to look at her wide eyed. Awako stared back, unwavering.

"I'm not gonna be your worthless punching bag Deku forever. Kacchan, I'm.." Katsuki's gaze lingered on Awako for a few more moments, now bearing his teeth like an animal as he turned to look at Izuku.

"I'm the Deku who always does his best!"

Uraraka looked overwhelmed now, as if something clicked in her mind.

"This pisses me off!" Katsuki shouted, bearing his teeth even more as he stood, facing Izuku.

They heard a buzzing come from his ear. It must have been Iida because he responded with "Shut up! And keep watch! I'm really pissed off now!" before launching himself at Izuku with a kick.

"Run ahead, Uraraka!" Izuku shouted. Awako stood frozen as the girl ran past her. Izuku had dodged the attack using the capture tape much in a fashion that reminded her of Aizawa's moves and rolled, moving to run around a corner. Katsuki made off after him leaving Awako alone.

* * *

"Dekkun," Awako had said into her headset, peeking out from one of the rooms. "I...have a plan. A small one."

"What is it, Awa-chan?"

She breathed in, trying to steady herself as she said "I'm going to distract Kacchan. That way you and Uraraka can come up with a plan to reach the nuclear bomb."

She heard footsteps coming closer and she whispered, "I'll fight Kacchan. That'll hold him off for a little longer."

Izuku was quiet for a few long moments. Finally he asked "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she said, slipping out of the room and moving her arms, getting into a fighting stance.

"Good luck," he replied.

As if on cue he turned the corner, stopping in his tracks to look at Awako.

"Move," he growled at her, his hands balling into fists as he leered at her.

"Not a chance, Kacchan," she said back cooly, lowering her body into a fighting stance. She moved her hands behind her then waved them infront of her body, water flowing after her palms. "Fight me."


	6. Chapter 6

Breathe.

"Fight me!" Awako repeated, launching water straight at Katsuki's face. He dodged it easily, moving to sweep his feet underneath her legs. She fell, knocking the air out of her lungs.

Gasping and coughing she stood, wiping her mouth.

"I don't have time for this, Wanko," he snarled, moving closer to her. He looked demonic with the way he bared his teeth at her. His muscles flexed beneath his shirt and his palms crackled.

Awako's heart pounded in her ear and she pushed herself forward, ramming her body into his and pushing him back with all of her strength. She found him staggering back and began to launch stream after stream of water at him, hoping to knock him down. Without fail he began to recognize her patterns, dodging them easily as he made his way back to her.

Breathe.

"Wanko," he growled at her, reaching to grab her wrist, "Don't make me hurt you."

Stepping back she moved her hands, pulling back the water from his clothes and hair, the water swirling up her arms and forming orbs in her hands.

"I have to get to that worthless Deku," he barked at her, before slamming his palm onto the ground causing an explosion. She dropped the water, bringing her arms up to block her face from the rubble that flew in every direction. That's when he moved past her.

She whipped around, just in time to block and push away his arm. She counted with a punch of her own, which he caught in his hand. She pulled away with a twirl, hopping back and launching another stream of water at him.

But he was on her in an instant, much more faster. It seemed like they were dancing now, dodging and feinting and launching themselves at one another. Countless hours they trained with one another before and it seemed to be Awako's greatest downfall. She never once won against Katsuki and she knew it.

He launched her into a dizzying spin before both of his hands latched onto her backpack.

"No," she whispered, her eyes growing wide.

With a loud 'bang' there was a splatter of water and the sound of broken plastic on the ground. The force of his explosion pushed her forward, causing her to stumble and fall to her hands and knees. She stared at the ground, trying to catch her breath.

The last thing she saw when she turned was Katsuki walking away, leaving her alone.

Her ears rang.

* * *

The hero team had won the battle. Uraraka had successfully captured the nuclear weapon for the team. Izuku was the only member of the team who had gotten pretty badly injured during the test.

Awako stared at the replays of Katsuki's and Izuku's fight as All Might spoke.

"Kurage-san seemed to fight hard but didn't do much after Bakugou damaged her bag. She just seemed to wander around."

She snapped out of her trance and turned her attention to the one who spoke. Yaoyorozu Momo was her name.

Awako's cheeks flushed and she looked down at her feet. She was right. All she really did do after her ears stopped ringing was wander around the building in a daze.

Turning her attention to Uraraka she reached out and rubbed the girl's back. She still looked a little green from the training exercise. She refused to look at Katsuki for the rest of the time, taking this chance to speak more Uraraka and cheer on Tsuyu when it was her turn.

Finally it was time to return to class. Everyone changed out of their hero costume and back to their uniform. Awako herself felt a throbbing in her temples by now and her throat felt itchy and dried out. After taking generous gulps from her water bottle she laid her head on her desk and placed her arm over her eyes. From beneath it she peeked at Katsuki, seeing him look dejected and almost as spaced out as she was.

He must be taking the loss hard, she thought to herself.

It wasn't until after class that she saw Izuku again. He entered the classroom looking pretty beat-up with his arm in a sling. Everyone seemed to rush over to talk to him. Even Tsuyu introduced herself to him. It made Awako happy. She knew how lonely he seemed to be in middleschool.

Awako herself managed to get a few other classmate's attention, asking her about her quirk and about Izuku and Katsuki. It was a little overwhelming, but she managed to exchange numbers a few more times. Ochako, Eijirou and surprisingly Momo were added to her list.

"Ah, Kurage-san," she heard as she began to gather her things to leave. "I want to speak to you," Aizawa finished, beckoning her over. The classroom was empty by now, and Tsuyu waited for her at the door.

"Go ahead, I'll message you when I get home," she said to her, giving her a shaky smile. When Tsuyu left she made her way over to his desk, her palms sweating and her stomach doing flips. She watched him shuffle through his papers, taking his time to flip through them before setting them down on his desk and looking up at her.

"Kurage-san," he began, leaning forward, "With a name like that I'm sure you've gathered enough attention. It's not often you see the family member of a top villain, let alone Kurage Naota."

Awako winced at the mention of her brother's name and she felt herself begin to sweat. Her legs shook and she averted her gaze from Aizawa's eyes. Why now? Why bring this up now?

"I myself have fought him one-on-one," he continued, standing from his desk. He moved around it, sliding his hands into his pockets and saying "I've seen the footage from your fight today. It seems as though you were holding something back. Especially after comparing it to the footage of your fighting from the entrance exam."

She took a step away from him and brought her hands up to her stomach.

"Kurage-san," he said after he was met with her silence, "If I thought you had zero prospects I would have expelled you immediately. In fact I believe you are one of the more talented students when it comes to combat training. But it seems that you're holding back now."

Awako refused to meet his eyes, staring blankly at her feet. She heard a buzzing in her ears and nothing felt real. The was a dizzyness in her head that made her almost stagger on her feet.

He crouched infront of her, resting his hands on his knees as he tried to catch her eyes. "Kurage-san," he said softly, "Are you perhaps faltering on your path to become a hero?"

It was as if she was hit with something. Her vision blurred and she put her hand on the desk to steady herself. Aizawa didn't seem to react, keeping his eyes on her as she tried to gather her thoughts.

"I-I…" she began, her grip so tight on the desk that her knuckles turned white, "I-I want…"

He waited patiently.

"I-I want to become a great hero. I want to...to…" she wiped her face, feeling tears sting her eyes. This was the first time she had ever been asked such a question. It surprised her further that such an aloof teacher even cared enough to ask her such a thing. She always saw it in her past teachers' faces. The look of fear and questioning. It was always the same question, the same exact question that plagued her growing up.

" _ **Awako, are you good or bad?"**_

Breathe.

"Aizawa-sensei," she said, stronger than before, "I want to find what's important."

She finally looked him in the eyes, her hands balling into fists and placing them at her sides.

He watched her and she couldn't tell if he had even heard her or not. Finally he stood, saying "Do not lose that flicker you have, Kurage-san. You can become a great hero if it grows large enough."

She stared up at him and it felt like the weight in her stomach had been lifted. Never had she heard those words come from anyone but herself. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she nodded before bringing her arm up to wipe them away.

"Yes," she said, though her voice was small.

"You may leave," he said to her, bringing a hand out to ruffle her bushy hair.

* * *

"Oh no," Awako, mumbled over and over, racing to the train station. She had about five more minutes until the last train for her stop left the station and she was booking it to make it on time. With a few long strides she jumped through the doors as they were closing and directly into someone.

"Watch where the fuck you're going, Wanko," she heard him growl, despite having an arm wrapped around her to keep her from bouncing back. Katsuki's eyes seemed puffy and his hair was spikier than the last time she had seen him. Heat seemed to radiate off of his body.

"K-Kacchan…?" she said, her brows furrowing slightly. Despite the anger she felt from earlier in his refusal to even fight her seriously she couldn't help but feel concern for him. She had never seen him this...upset. Ever. He always had such a huge ego that nothing really made him upset. He just got angry.

He held her closer, the train much more crowded than it normally was at this time of day. She didn't dare move. Or did she not move because she wanted to be close to him? The thought made her cheeks flush and she gripped her backpack strap tighter. She felt his cheek press into her hair and nearly caught on fire.

"I didn't want to hurt you…" she thought she heard him say. His voice was so low she could hardly hear it over the sound of the train tracks. It was still low when he brought his mouth closer to her ear to say "Not again."

Again?

She thought back to the mud monster incident and turned her head slightly to catch a glimpse at his blonde spikes. Is that what he meant?

"You didn't hurt me then, Kacchan," she said. "Not on purpose at least."

She felt a tiny pang of sadness when he stood straight, his hand pressed against the subway doors. There was little space between them as he tried to keep her from being squished from the crowd. Gripping on the strap of her bag tighter she looked up at him. His jaw was clenched and he stared out the windows. With a bump of the tracks the whole train car rocked, causing him to press into her. His hands were on either side of her head now and the crowd didn't seem to let up. She felt his chest heaving in aggravation and knew he was close to snapping.

"Breathe," she whispered softly to him. He breathing hitched and she felt his hair brush against her cheek. His scent was overwhelming yet so familiar and it made her face turn almost as red as a tomato. She felt so tiny now.

"Breathe," she whispered again to him, sure he could hear her once she felt him inhale deeply and let out a huff of air. Hesitantly she moved her hand, gently placing it on his arm. She rubbed it gently and turned her head slightly to look at him. His cheeks looked flushed but she could hardly tell with the dim lighting of the train.

"I'm not fragile anymore Kacchan," she said softly to him, moving her gaze from him to the ceiling. "I'm not the fragile girl you used to know."

Silence hung in the air between them for the rest of the ride.

* * *

"Awako you've hardly touched your dinner."

She looked up from her plate, her chin in her hand, to her father who was already giving himself a second serving.

"Sorry, I know it's your last day before you have to go back," she said, mixing around her rice. Her father watched her as he took a bite of his steak before placing down his chopsticks and chewing.

"You're in love, aren't you?" he said, a tiny smile forming on his face. "I know that look well." Awako flushed ten different shades of red before taking a large gulp of her water, looking away.

"So it's finally happened! Who are they? Someone you met at school?" he asked excitedly. "Is it that Midoriya? He's a nice boy," he said after a moment.

She nearly spat out her water.

"Dekkun is more like a brother than boyfriend material," she said, covering her laughter with her hand. She could also see the raging crush he seemed to have on Ochako.

"Oh! I see! Then it's Mitsuki's son, huh?" he said, slapping his fist in his palm. She nearly fell out of her chair.

"I-I'm not in love, Dad!" she said, standing from the table. "K-Kacchan is just a friend!"

A wry smile crossed his face and he tapped his chin, saying "I always knew you two would end up together. He always took special care into looking after you when you were little. And I've seen how he's been walking you home again recently! Ah, young love."

She sputtered, waving her hands as she tried to come up with something to tell him. "N-no way! He doesn't like me in the slightest!"

"Well, not outloud," he said, motioning her to sit. "But if I've learned anything people can say they love you in more ways than one. Why, they can say it without even saying it!"

She stared at her food blankly.

" _ **Good luck, Wanko."**_

" _ **Talk to me!"**_

" _ **Say something!"**_

" _ **I didn't want to hurt you."**_

" _ **Not again."**_

"I'm finished," she said, leaving the room. Her heart was beating in her chest as she made her way to her room. She nearly slammed her door shut before leaning against it and pressing her forehead against the cold wood. She could still smell his scent on her and it made her body heat. Then she turned, sliding down and sitting, bringing her legs to her chest and burying her face against her knees.

"Not again," she said aloud, touching her shoulder. Her gaze moved to her nightstand, looking at her bracelet.

Did he mean?

Or maybe..., she thought.

" _I don't need you!"_

She covered her face with her hands.

That night she dreamt of the last time she saw her brother.

She didn't sleep very well.


	7. Chapter 7

Something was missing.

Katsuki Bakugou looked around the buzzing classroom. He couldn't exactly tell what, but he knew something was missing. He had checked his bag several times and even checked his pockets, going through a mental checklist of things he needed. Nothing there was missing.

But something was missing.

His gaze moved around the classroom as he began to count classmates. He stopped to leer at that shitty Deku before his gaze settled on an empty desk.

Ah, that was it.

Perhaps she was running late?

A few moments passed and there still was no sign of her.

Maybe the press held her up?

Maybe not, he thought, as he saw Aizawa close the door to the classroom. Katsuki snuck a glance at his cellphone, a tiny pout coming onto his features when he saw he had no new messages.

Though he wasn't sure they were on good enough terms for her to text him.

Where was she?

* * *

Awako waved to her father's car from her bedroom window as he pulled out to leave for work. She then settled back into her bed, pulling the covers over herself and sighing softly. She was too exhausted to go to class today and her anxiety seemed to gnaw away at her for the first time in forever. Her stomach ached.

She curled up beneath the blankets and fidgeted with her bracelet. It was the first time she looked at it since she first found it. It must have taken Katsuki ages to figure out how to braid the thread, she thought as she rubbed the charm with her fingers. It must have taken him even longer to find all of the beads for it. The thought of Katsuki being patient brought up a giggle. She knew he had to have lost his temper a few times.

The memories of catching him staring at her hands as she worked on her bracelets crossed her mind. When they ate lunch together or when he gave up tutoring her. It was one of the few times he ever seemed calm.

She felt her face flush a little as she thought of his calm expression. She glanced at her phone to distract herself and saw that she had a text from Tsuyu.

Tsu: I hope you feel better soon!

Awako smiled and sent back a thanks before opening up her messages with Katsuki. Should she text him? She always did before they fought.

She locked her phone and set it on her nightstand, turning over in her bed and closing her eyes.

* * *

 _He was tall and slender, like Awako's mother. He had brunette hair cropped short and glasses like her father. He was a lot older, she remembered. Seventeen or eighteen and he was a prodigy. He was always showered with praise from people that passed them by as he walked her to school. Even her teachers had nice things to say about him._

 _They expected great things like that from Awako._

 _The dreams of Naota were always the same. He always had a benign smile on his face as their mother laid behind him, unmoving._

" _Awako, are you good or bad?" he would ask her. They were the last words she ever heard from him before he knocked her out. In her dream he always had a coldness to his eyes. The same eyes they shared. Tendrils would slither down his arms, long and curling, before wrapping around her body. A stinging pain would overcome her senses and her own screaming would wake her in a cold sweat._

 _His quirk had been passed down the Kurage bloodline for generations. Long tendrils come from the skin like a jellyfish's tentacles and inject a stinging poison into whatever it touched._

 _Awako was only six when her brother was deemed a top villain._

* * *

Katsuki fidgeted in his seat.

His eyes found the clock and he stared at it, willing for the day to end. He was already bristling at Izuku winning the position of class president and the media causing the alarms to go off throughout the whole school, now he had to wait for class to drag on. Aizawa lecturing from his performance during the last battle training didn't help at all. The whole damn day felt off to him.

But why?

After what seemed like hours class had finally let out for the day. He gathered his bag before slipping his hands into his pockets as he left the classroom.

"Ah, Bakugou-san," he heard, causing him to pause mid-step.

"Kurage-san wasn't in today. Will you take her homework to her? You seem to live the closest to her and she's been falling behind on her studies."

It was Aizawa, holding Awako's homework out to him. He didn't much wait for a reply as he pushed the paperwork into Katsuki's hands and slunk off to the teacher's room. Katsuki opened his mouth to give a fiery protest but closed it once he saw that Aizawa was gone.

Katsuki stared down at the papers for a moment before letting out a huff. Then, after a few moments he shoved the papers into his bag.

* * *

Her phone went off. A glitchy tune that she adored.

"I'm outside. Open the damn door."

Awako froze before tearing the covers off of herself and racing to her window. Katsuki was indeed standing outside of her house.

She didn't even reply back to him before she hung up and ran around her room to find something more presentable to wear.

She pulled a sweater over her head and tripped over herself as she slipped into a pair of joggers. She raked her fingers through her hair before pulling it into a ponytail and nearly falling down the stairs in the process.

Running into the door she swung it open, her eyes as wide as dinnerplates as she stared at Katsuki.

"You don't look sick," he said with a smirk. He pushed passed her before she could protest and slipped off his shoes before stepping into the hallway. Without a second glance he made his way into the kitchen, dropping his bag onto the table and zipping it open.

"H-Hey," Awako said, closing the door and moving after him. "What are you doing?"

"Aizawa says you're falling behind in class. I'm tutoring you, idiot," he said, pulling out a folder and setting it on the table.

* * *

"I can't fucking believe…" Katsuki grumbled, gently tugging on a lock of Awako's hair. She fell asleep. He was in the middle of talking and she just fell asleep.

He had noticed the way she just seemed to space out randomly when they were working out a problem. If anything she had gotten even worse than the last time he tutored her, although that was almost a year ago.

He tugged on her hair again, wrapping the lock around his finger. She seemed to mumble in her sleep, though he couldn't make out what she was saying, even when he brought his head close enough to hers.

"Unbelievable," he said, tossing his hands in the air as he leaned back in his chair. He took the book out from under her head, causing it to hit the table with a "thud"

Still out like a light.

"Fucking incredible," he said, almost laughing.

She snorted in her sleep.

He bit back a laugh.

She really was like a puppy dog. He watched her sleep before slowly reaching his hand out. He hesitated, his hand hanging in the air before slowly bringing to stroke her head.

When did he start to feel like this toward her? His chest tightened and he brought his hand back. His gaze moved to the clock that hung above the doorway. It was getting late and he had to go home.

He really didn't want to go home.

But he had to.

"Wanko," he said, shaking her shoulder, "Wake the fuck up."

She snorted again, her head shooting up. She was drooling and had bags under her eyes as she turned to look at Katsuki. In that moment he felt his heart skip a beat.

"Just resting my eyes, th...the problems really hard."

His ears turned pink as he moved to pack his things.

"Yeah right," he snorted at her, standing. The look on her face made him pause in his tracks.

"Are you leaving?" She asked, eyebrows scrunched together.

He had to look away, his ears burning once more before looking back to her and saying "It's fucking late, I got shit to do."

"Ah, I guess you're right," she said, laughing sheepishly. His chest tightened again as he watched her mope, standing from her chair. He headed toward the door, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Wait!" she said, reaching out to grab his wrist. "I have something to give you." He stared at her for a long moment and she stared back.

"Well," he said, "I ain't got all day."

"Oh!" she said before turning and scampering to her room. He watched her before looking down at his feet. God he felt so off today. Why was he sweating suddenly?

She scampered back, holding something close to her chest.

"Listen," she said, her face flushed red, "I...Thank you for fixing my bracelet. I...I made you something a long time ago, but I only now really have a chance to give it to you."

He stared at her, beginning to sweat more.

"H-Here," she said, pressing something into his chest. Her head was bent so her hair hid her face.

Looking down he saw a simple red-beaded bracelet.

He dropped it. His eyes were opened wide and he stared at it on the ground as Awako fumbled to pick it back up. She held it out to him, her hand shaking slightly. He reached out slowly, slowly picking the bracelet up and looking at it.

After another long silence her muttered a simple "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," she said back to him just as softly, watching him shove the bracelet in his pocket.


	8. Chapter 8

Katsuki stared down at his bracelet. He could feel his cheeks heating as he ran his fingers over the cold, smooth, red beads between his fingers. Closing his eyes he could picture almost as clear as day the look on Awako's face when he took the bracelet from her. Her face had lit up the brightest he had seen in forever and she looked like a damn puppy dog with her tail wagging.

He breathed her name in the darkness of his room, staring up at the ceiling. He felt his chest tighten.

Hours passed and he still couldn't get to sleep. Reaching for his earbuds he slipped them into his ears, turning on music. Of course the first song that popped up was one that Awako had insisted over and over that he listen to. She even made it her ringtone.

"It's good! I promise!" she whined, trying to put the earbud in his ear. It was before they had their fight. Before they graduated middleschool.  
"Fine, fine, give me the fucking thing," he snapped, holding his hand out. He took the earbud and placed it in his ear, preparing himself to space out for the next four or five minutes but actually found himself enjoying the song. It wasn't much his style but he could see why she liked it.

"It's alright I guess," he said, yanking the earbud from his ear and handing back to her. For weeks after he listened to her hum it to herself as she braided her bracelets. He even walked in on her singing it as she waited for him to get out of class.

He tapped his fingers on his chest, muttering the lyrics to himself. He closed his eyes, rolling to his side.

That night he dreamt of his fingers running through bushy brown hair.

* * *

Awako fidgeted in her seat. They were on a bus heading towards the UA training grounds for rescue training. She had taken up a seat next to Katsuki, nervously glancing at the bracelet he wore on his wrist.  
She wore her bracelet also.  
She wasn't much paying attention to the conversation. Her body jerked with every bump of the bus. It caused their hands to bump. Katsuki didn't really seem to notice but Awako's face was bright red. She was clad in her hero costume, a new backpack sitting in her lap that looked much like the one Katsuki broke beforehand. There was a note saying to be more careful and that it was made of stronger material. She kept her focus on the water sloshing inside of it and not to the closeness of their hands now. If anything it felt as if his hand was getting closer.  
"You wanna talk strong and cool? That'd be Todoroki and Bakugou." The comment pulled her out of her thoughts and both Katsuki and herself perked up, listening to the conversation. Katsuki made a noise, turning his gaze back out the window. His pinky finger almost wrapped around hers.  
"But Bakugou's so unhinged he'd never be popular," Tsuyu said, causing the blonde to bristle.

"What'd you say, Frog Face?" he snarled, shooting up.

Tsuyu replied "See?"  
"We've hardly started socializing and already you've made it clear to us the unpleasantness of your steam turd of a personality," a blond boy with a black streak in his hair said. Awako racked her brain for a name. Denki. Kaminari Denki.  
"Yeah, okay Mr. Vocabulary. How about I pound you!?" Katsuki snarled. Awako began to flail a bit before grabbing his hand looking up at him.  
"C-Calm down K-Kacchan," she whispered, pulling him down. He snorted and went back to sitting, crossing his legs. He squeezed her hand tightly, keeping his grip on it for the rest of the ride.

* * *

"Why are you so close?" Katsuki finally commented. Awako fidgeted, stepping a few steps back and crossing her arms behind her back.  
"S-Sorry, she mumbled, looking to the side. "I just…."  
He watched her for a moment before saying "Well?"  
"I have a bad feeling is all," she said, looking around. He snorted before moving back to her side. His pinky finger nudged hers and she felt her face turn red once again.  
Soon Tsuyu stood beside her as well, eyeing the both of them before looking at Awako, her finger on her chin.  
"Thank you for listening," the hero, Thirteen had said, bowing to the students. Awako had spaced out the whole lecture, scanning around the area for something. The nightmares that had kept her up the past few days made her on edge, a gnawing feeling at the back of her mind.  
Aizawa seemed to spot it faster than everyone else.  
"Huddle up! And don't move!" he shouted, causing Awako to jump. Katsuki inched closer to her, stepping infront of her. "Thirteen! Protect the students!" he shouted again.  
Wave after wave of villains appeared out of what seemed to be a black hole.  
Everything happened so quickly. Everyone seemed to be shouting. Aizawa was attacking those who poured nonstop from the black hole and heading towards the students.  
Katsuki ripping himself from her jarred her back to reality. Everything sounded hollow and loud. Her eyes wouldn't focus on anything and she was sweating, her hands shaking. Her eyes focused on a familiar face in the crowd, and then it was gone again. She watched in horror as Katsuki and Eijirou attacked a villain who seemed to be made of darkness. A heartbeat passed before the darkness swirled around all of them. Without thinking she ran to Katsuki, her arms outreached.  
"Katsuki!" she shrieked.  
Then nothing.

* * *

She slammed into Katsuki, bouncing back and onto the ground. He was shouting and his explosions were deafening. Awako scrambled to her feet, running directly into a grunt. She was ripped from him so hard that her arm nearly popped out of its socket and the heat of an explosion blew back her hair.

"You fucking idiot why did you jump after me?!" she heard Katsuki shout. She bounced off of him just in time to slam a villain from the air into a wall with a wave of water. She wasn't thinking when she got into stance and began to twirl, intertwining her footsteps and gliding between grunt to grunt, swiping and lifting and slamming with waves of water.

Fight.

"Stay close to me!" he commanded her, leaping infront of her and slamming his hand in an explosion against someone's face.

Fight.

"I got this!" she shouted back fiercely, slamming her fist into the gut of another before kicking them back. She rolled herself around Katsuki, defending him from a flying fist. In turn he wrapped his arm around her waist, steering her away from another ruthless attack.

"I can fight too, Kacchan!" she shouted at him, her face inches from his. He bared his teeth at her and she mimicked the action back.

But he saw it in her eyes.

He saw the flicker of a flame. It caused him to falter, his grip around her waist loosening. She pushed herself away from him, stumbling back and saying, "I'm not fragile anymore!"

A wave of water rolled around the both of them, sending grunts flying in different directions with a flick of Awako's wrist.

"God don't you ever just shut up!" he shouted back, his face turning red. "I'm trying to keep you safe you fucking idiot!"

By now the dust had settled down. Eijirou had managed to catch up with them as they argued. "I don't think now is the time to be fighting…" he said, scratching his cheek.

"I can fight!" she shouted back, her face inches from his. "I told you, Kacchan I'm not weak anymore! I don't need you to protect me!" she shouted, balling her hands into fists.

She saw his eyes widen for just a moment then his hands crackled. They both stared at one another with fire. Finally Awako turned, storming away from him. Tears burned in her eyes and she hastily wiped them away. A few sobs sounded from her as she ignored the calls from both Eijirou and Katsuki. She heard footsteps and turned to see Katsuki running after her before another horde of villains came at them. She heard a loud rumbling and dodged, rolling out of the way as a wall of broken rubble came crashing down. Once the dust had settled she saw that she was completely blocked from them.

"Kacchan!" she called, but heard nothing.

"Eijirou!" she called out again. Still nothing.

Her breathing became rapid as she began to tear at the wall but to no avail. Tears dribbled down her face as she stared at the wreckage. She wiped her face quickly, trying to calm herself down.

"I just...have to find a way around," she said aloud to herself.

"Awako-chaaaaan," she heard a voice sing.

Her eyes widened and she turned.

Kurage Naota stood a few feet away from her, dressed in a black short sleeved turtleneck and black pants. He still wore the same pair of glasses. He still stared at her with the same cold eyes.  
"Don't be so cold. I came to congratulate you on making it into the school that I could never," he said, taking steps towards her. She stood frozen, her arms folding infront of her stomach as she took a step back.  
He held the same smile on his face as he did the day he was dubbed a villain for murdering their mother.  
"So, Awako, are you good or bad?"


	9. Chapter 9

"That's all of em," Katsuki said, shaking his hand. "Buncha mooks."

"Great, now let's hurry and help the others," Eijirou said, wiping his cheek. "Kurage-san ran off, so we should go find her first. Hopefully she wasn't hurt by that wall falling. If we're here, I bet everyone else is still in USJ. I'm worried about the guys who really don't have a way of attacking!" He turned to Katsuki, saying, "Thirteen-sensei's probably got his hands full since we rushed ahead like that. None of this would have happened if we'd let him suck in that mist man. As men we gotta take responsibility!"

Katsuki snorted and said, "If that's what you want to do go on alone. I'm gonna beat that Warp Gate Guy to a pulp."

 _Gotta find Wanko first_ , he thought, looking toward the direction she ran off in. God, why couldn't she just stay put and let him protect her? He balled his hands into fists. She could be so fucking dense sometimes.

"Are you still pulling that immature crap at a time like this? Besides normal attacks don't work on him-"

"Shut up!" Katsuki snipped, running a hand through his blond spikes. Sweat slid down his temple as his thoughts settled. _She'll be fine_ , he told himself. _She always turns out fine. She can fend for herself for the most part. She's gonna have to for now._

He turned his gaze to the wall of rubble, willing himself to calm down.

"He's how these punks are getting around. Bring him down and they'll have nowhere to run," he said, turning back to Eijirou. "It's not like I don't have a way to beat him,"

Just then a villain lunged at the both of them, just in time for Katsuki to catch him and slam his head into the ground with an explosion.

"If all they're sending to us are these idiots, we'll be fine."

 _She'll be fine._

Maybe if he said it enough times he'd believe it.

* * *

Awako steeled herself, her back against a wall. She had backed up against it, pressing herself to it as she kept her gaze focused on her brother. He hadn't seemed to change in all the years he was gone. She gritted her teeth in a snarl at him, water slithering from her bag and around her body.

He laughed, sliding his hands from his pockets as he took a few steps towards her.

"Never back yourself into a wall, sweetheart," he said, dangerously sweet. "It's never a good idea. Now you have nowhere to run. That should be rule number one that they teach you."

He whipped his arm out, a long tentacle shooting out from his wrist towards her. She scampered out of the way, tripping over herself but catching herself on the wall before running.

"Oh! So they do teach you something! Running away!" he exclaimed, pushing up his glasses and smiling. "Not a very good school if all they teach is-"

He was silenced by a shot of water to his face, his glasses clattering to the floor a few feet away. Awako was already exhausted from fighting alongside Katsuki and Eijriou. Now this. But she didn't falter. Wave after wave of water slammed into him, making him stumble backwards. She looked like a deadly dancer with every move of her wrists and hips. Every twirl and step she made sent him reeling back farther and farther.

Then Awako felt nothing but pain shooting through her legs. A scream ripped from her body, loud and blood-curdling. She collapsed, gasping for air.

* * *

Katsuki stopped mid-run and turned his head, looking toward the building. His heart pounded in his chest as he tried to focus his hearing. Was that a scream?

"C'mon man, we gotta get back!" Eijirou called back to Katsuki.

With one last look he turned, running back in the direction of the others.

* * *

Naota pushed his soaking wet hair back, a bleeding cut across his face where she had hit him. His left arm was stretched out, three stringy tentacles connecting to Awako's leg. They let go, slithering back into his arm.

"You always gave it your all, Awako-chan," he said with a laugh, seeming unfazed by the welts forming on his skin. Awako's socks were ripped where the tentacles had injected their poison, stinging marks beginning to form. He started to walk towards her and she dragged herself away from him, bringing her arm up to block another tentacle coming for her neck. It wrapped around her arm and she gritted her teeth to muffle her screams. She wrapped it around her arm a few times before grabbing it, yanking it with all of her strength.

It was Naota's turn to scream. Blood leaked from the skin torn from his arm and onto the floor.

"I won't let you speak about my school like that," she said, dropping the tentacle from her arm. Her arm fell limp at her side and she couldn't seem to move it now. With one hand she sent wave after wave of attacks towards him again, Hoping to do anything. Soon Katsuki had to look for her. He would come to help her any second now.

Right?

She faltered, pain shooting up her leg as she put her weight on it, causing her to fall to her knees.

Surely Katsuki would find her. He always has.

He gaze focused on the bracelet on her wrist and something rumbled inside of her. Water wrapped around her brother's head, covering his mouth as she looked at him. Pure anger and hate reflected in her eyes. String after string of tentacles shot from his hands and wrapped around her as she drowned him. She screeched louder than she ever had, her eyes rolling back as poison pumped itself into her body.

Memories seemed to flash before her eyes. Innocent times of playing with her brother. Times of eating the dinner he cooked for them. Memories of birthdays and holidays spent with him. She remembered all of them as pain enveloped her for what seemed like years.

" _ **Are you good or bad?"**_

The memory of him standing before their mother, his shoulders shaking in a laugh as he turned to face her.

Tears prickled her eyes but never fell. Soon the stinging stopped and the tentacles slipped off from around her. The water around Naota's head splashed onto the ground.

He didn't move.

Awako bit back cries of pain, taking shaking steps towards her brother as she held her arm. Her outfit had rips and tears in it, the sheer skirt completely torn up. Her goggles were cracked. Her limbs felt heavy and she felt her eyes drooping as she made her way over to him.

He coughed up water, turning his head to look up at her.

"You're just like me," he wheezed out, a grin on his face.

Her gaze was ice cold and the last of the water in her bag seeped out.

"I'm nothing like you," she said, mimicking Katsuki's intimidating aura the best she could. "I'll never be like you," she continued, "because I'm good, and that's something you'll never be."

He laughed, a deep laugh from his gut and placed his head on the concrete floor, scrunching up to try and sit up but slumped. She raised her foot and thrust it against his side, pushing him onto his back. He groaned in pain and she slowly saw his consciousness fade.

She dropped to her knees, staring at his unconscious body. Awako felt nothing for the man who laid before her.

She blacked out, the sound of buzzing in her ears.

* * *

Katsuki was running. She wasn't with the group. Maybe she was fighting off the rest of the villains that had yet to flee. Behind him trailed a few pro-heros.

"Over this way!" he called to them, turning into the room where the rubble had fallen down. The pro-hero Cemetoss easily cleared it away.

"Wanko!" Katsuki called, rushing ahead of the group. He paused, his eyes wide with horror.

She was still and he could hardly see the rise and fall of her chest. Her hair was a tangled mess behind her and her clothes were ripped. Her skin was as white as a sheet and her eyes were partially open, staring into nothingness.

"Wanko!" he called again, racing over to her body as the others called out at him. He skidded to a halt, dropping to his knees and gingerly picking her up.

"Wake the fuck up!" he said, his voice cracking slightly as he lifted her closer to him and brushed away her hair. He removed her goggles, gently patting her cheek.

He could hardly make out the words of the other heroes as they raced to catch up. His gaze stared into her eyes and he saw something flicker in them.

"Ka...Kacha-" she hoarsely whispered before her body jerked in his arms.

"She's going into cardiac arrest! Quickly! Get Recovery Girl!"

Katsuki didn't even notice that they had finally caught up with him. He watched helplessly as they took her from his arms.

"Wanko!" he cried out, reaching towards her as they pulled him away. God he was so fucking stupid. Why didn't he stay with her? She depended on him more than anything and he let this happen to her.

He yanked his body against the ones pulling him back before lowering his head in defeat.

She depended on him.

* * *

She was floating in water. At least it felt like water. It felt cold but not freezing. When she opened her mouth, nothing came out. Everything looked blue. She could only float in this sea of nothingness, a certain tranquility in it all. It felt like years had passed.

"Awako," she heard a voice say.

 _Just a little longer_ , she thought. _Not yet. I don't want to go yet._

The voice faded and she continued to float in the nothingness.

"Awa-chan!" she heard another voice say, louder this time.

 _No,_ she thought again, turning away from the sound. _Not yet._

She felt a pain in her chest. When she went to open her mouth no noise came out. Bubbles passed her, shining beads in the darkness. She watched them pass her by, one by one.

"Wanko!" she heard someone shout. Such a stupid nickname. But she loved it. She always had.

Almost as much as the voice that called her.

 _That's right_ , she thought, _I have things to do._

 _I have something I still need to say._

Suddenly a panic overcame her and she thrashed about, reaching out into nothing. There were things she still wanted to do. She knew now. She knew exactly what was important.

 _Papa._

 _Dekkun._

 _Tsuyu._

 _Aizawa-sensei._

 _Katsuki._

* * *

She woke up.


	10. Finale

Katsuki sat in the hospital waiting room for what seemed like forever. He tapped his fingers, his hands on his knees as he waited. As normal a pout was on his face.

They only allowed two people at a time in the hospital rooms and he had been waiting for over an hour now. He watched the clock quietly as he began to tap his foot.

God what was taking so long.

Over and over Awako's face flashed in his mind. The last time he had seen her was when they were taking her away in an ambulance.

He slipped out his phone, trying to distract himself from his thoughts. He tapped the icon to his photo album and scrolled through the photos he had. Most were of Awako taking selfies of herself making stupid face when he wasn't looking. Most of those pictures had him in the background of them, not paying any attention.

He felt a flicker of something in his chest.

Cardiac arrest. She had gone into cardiac arrest. Then she was in a coma for two days.

He gritted his teeth, his grip on his phone tightening so hard he thought he would break it. God, why did she even hang around him? He was always nothing but mean to her before they went to U.A. He was so fucking cruel to her and she still stuck by his side. He remembered all the times he teased her and the snark comments he would make about her. Even the times he made comments about her brother. Yet she never seemed to hate him. He deserved every single bit of attitude she gave him the past year. He deserved the way she ignored him. He couldn't even say how he felt. He always felt like she depended on him.

But how did he feel?

He felt…

He felt like maybe…

He depended on her.

He scrolled through his pictures before starting back to the most recent one. It was when she fell asleep on the train ride home. One of the bumps had caused her to fall into him. She stayed sound asleep as she rested against him and he couldn't help but snap a selfie with both of them in it.

His hand shook as he stared down at the picture.

"Ah, Bakugou-san," he heard suddenly. He looked up and saw Tsuyu standing before him dressed in regular clothes. It was weird seeing her out of uniform.

He fumbled with his phone, nearly dropping it as he shoved it back into his pocket, his ears red.

"It about time. I've been waiting all damn day," he snipped at her. She ignored the comment, her gaze wandering to a plastic bag on the floor beside his leg. He stared at her as he scooted it underneath the chair with his leg, his arms crossed.

Poking her chin she asked "Are you here to see Awako?"

"Yes," he simply replied.

"She was asleep, but she should be up by now. I have to go babysit my brother and sister. See you at school," she said, waving to him before leaving.

He watched her go before looking down at the direction of Awako's room. After a solid five minutes of pacing back and forth he grabbed the bag from beneath the chair and headed to her room.

The walk was long and he passed her father on the way there.

"Ah, Katsuki," he said, running a hand through his hair. He seemed jittery and his face was pale. His dress shirt sleeves were rolled up and his glasses were missing.

He looked like a wreck.

"She's, uh, she's sleeping again for now. They said it was really close. To think her brother...after all these years? And Miwako's death...now Awako…" he fumbled with his words before wiping his eyes. A few steady moments passed and her let out a breath.

"But she's okay. After all that she had in her system...she's okay," he said, placing a hand on Katsuki's shoulder. "Thank you for toughening her up."

Katsuki could only stare at his feet.

"Any...Anyway I have to make a phone call," he said before moving past Katsuki.

* * *

Awako was laying with her back to him, the steady beeping of the heart moniter the only sound in the room. He could see that her right arm was bandaged up completely and her hair was tied up, revealing bandages around her neck. He cleared his throat before making his way to the seat beside the bed.

"Sorry Tsu," she said, "I don't really feel like talking much anymore." He jumped in his seat a little, not expecting her to be awake.

"It's, uh, not Frog Face," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "You really should be sleeping," he added as she turned to look at him, her eyes wide.

"Kacchan!" she nearly shouted as she said up. She winced slightly from the sudden movement, touching her neck before bringing her hand to her hair, trying to smooth down some of the curls.

"You look fine," he snapped before turning pink. She did the same as she stopped her preening and put her hand down. They sat in silence, not looking at eachother. After a few long moments Awako turned to look over at Katsuki, her lip trembling.

"Well," she said, her voice shaking, "They said I should be back in school in a few days! If my tests check out right I should be good to go!"

He looked over at her as she tightened her grip on her bedsheets.

"I...I mean I might have a little trouble walking for awhile, but the limp should be gone fairly soon! They even said I could stay in the hero course! Can you believe that Aizawa-sensei came to visit me? He looked like a mummy!"

She squeezed out a laugh as she held her arms out. He heard her voice crack and he face was red.

"Wanko," he began.

"It-It really was a close one! They said I went into cardiac...cardiac arrest! I just felt like I was sleeping the whole time! Papa was so scared. You-You should have seen his face!"

"Wanko," he repeated, leaning closer to her.

"They said it was a m-miracle that I survived with so much poison in my system," she prattled on, her arms shaking.

"Awako," he said, his voice louder.

She looked at him, sniffling softly. His hands balled into fists as he saw globs of tears begin to roll down her cheeks.

"They...They said Naota got away. I couldn't even stop him," she said to him, her voice barely a whisper.

It was so sudden. It happened so fast that Awako flinched back in surprise at hands were wiping away her tears as gently as they had the first time they met. More tears fell and she couldn't help but let out a tiny wail as he gently wiped her tears from her face.

"My brother tried to kill me," she whispered. "I almost died."

"I know," he whispered back to her, holding her face in his hands.

He held her in silence, letting her cry into his chest.

* * *

Inside of the bag was a small shiba inu plush.

"My, uh, mom said to get it for you," he lied, scratching the back of his head. "I also have to homework from the days you missed class," he said, digging in his back and pulling out a notebook and folder.

"Homework? But I'm in the hospital!" she whined, pushing it away.

"And you still have shit to do stupid!" he flared, his hair bristling. She bristled back, puckering her lips in a pout.

He held it out towards her again and she pushed it back. They went back and forth a few more times before she dejectedly took it from him, flipping it open.

* * *

She had fallen asleep once again and Katsuki wasn't surprised in the least bit. Her father had stopped in but went back out on another business phone call. The sun had begun to set and he checked his phone one last time.

Once again he had to go home.

He sighed, collecting his things and taking one long look at Awako. She looked a lot more peaceful now than she had before.

He looked over her answers, stalling for some time before slipping the notebook back into his bag. He told her to take a break, her arm beginning to hurt again. That when she ended up falling asleep to the sound of him reading over his notes from class.

"You really are fucking incredible, Wanko," he muttered.

"Kacchan," she mumbled in her sleep, rolling over and hugging the plush close. His face turned red.

He moved closer to her bed, leaning over her for a moment his face hovering over hers. Very softly he brushed his lips against her cheek.

He really did depend on her.

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"For the millionth time, yes," Awako said, exasperated. She patted down her hair, puffing out her cheeks as he dad pulled her into another gentle hug before letting her go.

"The doctor said you could rest another few days before going," he said, his brows scrunched up.

"Papa, please," she whined, "I don't want to miss school anymore! I have to go to class. How else am I gonna become a hero?"

He sighed, letting her go and petting her head.

"I'm just worried. But if you want to go, I can't stop you."

She kissed his cheek before turning to the door.

"I'm off then!" she cheered, waving a bandaged fist in the air.

Outside Katsuki waited for her, listening to her babble excitedly while they made their way to the station. She seemed overly excited to be back to class, almost skipping down the hallway.

She beamed when she was greeted by Tsuyu and Eijirou. Momo, Denki, Izuku, and Ochako rushed over as well, pelting her with questions. Even the other classmates that she never even spoken to rushed over to see her.

The attention was overwhelming and she stepped closer to Katsuki as she tried her best to keep up.

It was Aizawa entering the room that settled everyone down.

"Ah, Kurage-san, good to see you back," he said, his voice muffled by all the bandages. "I have a question for you," he said, turning in her direction.

"Will you be joining in the U.A. sports festival this year?"


End file.
